When God Shows Up: Real Stories of FaithНамуна

Transcript:

This week, we have seen stories of God meeting people in their own personal ‘desert.’ Now, we get to sit down and have a special conversation with Jake, who has walked closely alongside young adults aging out of foster care.

Today, we’ll reflect on how God showed up in these young adults' lives, and in their ‘desert’ journey, just like He showed up for Moses, and how through their stories, it’s changed both those that are serving the young adults, and the young adults being served.

Thank you for joining us, Jake.

From your experience, what does it mean to be in a “desert season” for these young adults in the Life Launch program?

'You did a good job of mentioning it in the intro – there’s feelings of isolation, loneliness –when you think of the desert, you think of a lack of resources. And the most pressing resource that these young adults need and don’t have is relationships.’

Can you share a story or moment where you saw God show up in a surprising way for someone going through their desert journey?

‘Well, I think it’s important to look at the greater context of our question in regards to God showing up for Moses in the desert and promising that he would be with him. Oftentimes, God doesn’t get us out of the desert, but he promises to be with us. And so Moses, his life had been really good, and then when God makes this promise to him, if you look at the story of Moses, you know that his life actually is about to get a lot more difficult. He was gonna have to go to Egypt, be used by God to deliver the Israelites, and then, the 40 years wandering in the wilderness. And so, God’s promise to be with Moses is not that it’s going to be easy or everything's going to be good, but it is that he was with him through this very difficult season. And so, from a worldly perspective, that may not look like success. And when we think about Christian ministry, we need to be very mindful of how we are viewing success. And what I mean by that is that the way we see God often show up in these desert seasons for these young adults is not that everything in their life just gets better, but rather, through the people of God, God is with this young adult walking with them day by day, and giving them hope to continue on. They can have this understanding that, ‘My life may not be any better tomorrow than it is today – it may not be any better next week – but I believe that 6 months to a year from now, because of what God is doing in my life through the church that is walking with me in this difficult time, I believe that my life will be better.’

So what does God’s promise to Moses (that He will be with him) mean in the context of these young adults who often feel alone or forgotten?

‘Well, when we think about the way God showed up for Moses, the way God has shown up for us throughout history, we have to think about everything through the lens of the incarnation. God. Shows. Up. So, in the lives of these young adults, they need people to show up for them, right? That’s what it’s all about. When God sought to redeem humanity, He didn’t just appoint someone – He Himself came in the person of His son Jesus, to redeem, purchase back, and serve humanity. And so, when I think of what it looks like, it looks like people showing up for them as God has done for us. I always like to think about how John 1:14 (NIV) says that, “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” And I like to point back to the first verse, because it says, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” Well, that’s the same word it’s speaking about in verse 14. The word, the logos, the one by which all things were made, came and dwelt, incarnated himself among people. So, one of the things I was thinking about is, Jesus didn’t show up so that we wouldn’t have to; He showed up to show us how things in His kingdom work. We must show up for others the way He has shown up for us.’

What encouragement would you give to someone who feels like they’re in the desert right now, waiting for God to show up for them?

‘You know, what I would say is, I would call other brothers and sisters along with me to come help walk with you and pray for you and just show up for you in little ways and big ways, but first, definitely take the time to listen and see where you need help and where you’re hurting.’

Thank you for joining this conversation, Jake. Remember, even when the path feels uncertain, like a desert journey, God is with you every step of the way, leading you toward the place He has prepared for you.